South Florida engagement shoots are always a pleasure for me to shoot – especially when shooting at a place I haven’t been to before. At Brett and Troy’s suggestion, we planned their engagement shoot at Birch State Park in Fort Lauderdale. What a gem! This park offered so many great places to take amazing photos that it was absolutely wonderful to work there. Not to mention, I had attractive and enthusiastic subjects as well!

As a South Florida wedding photographer, I am often called upon to shoot in new and unusual spots. This always is something to look forward to. I just never know what I will find that will inspire me in a new setting. As far as photographing South Florida engagement shoots, Birch State Park was truly one of the more interesting new places I’ve visited. Not only did it offer fabulous and lush greenery, but also a lake where the bride and groom could take out a canoe. This allowed for some really fun photos.

I hope you will enjoy this glimpse at Brett and Troy’s recent South Florida engagement shoot. I am also looking forward to photographing their South Florida wedding later this year at Temple Kol-Ami Emanuel in Plantation. They have been a pleasure to work with so far and I know that their enthusiasm and excitement will continue right through their wedding day and beyond! Working with couples who are really interested in working with me to get great, spontaneous and fun photos is ideal and I always try my best to insure that the picture taking process is enjoyable and not an arduous task.

Here is the sweet story of Brett and Troy’s romance!
Brett and Troy met four years ago through a mutual friend while they were both in relationships. When Troy found out Brett was single, he strategically contacted a mutual friend to "set them up". They are getting married at Temple Kol-Ami Emanuel in Plantation on December 12th. Brett was named there and her father is extremely involved in the Temple. Troy proposed to her only 10 months after dating her because she was exactly what he was looking for throughout his entire life. They both feel they are living a modern day fairy tale and when Troy proposed, he asked her if she would like to live happily ever after together.

Alana & Roy’'s Elegant Miami Wedding at the Coral Gables Country ClubPosted on May 7, 2015

This was an absolutely fabulous South Florida wedding in which we started taking photos at the incomparable Biltmore Hotel before traveling over to the Coral Gables Country Club where all the wedding festivities were held. Beginning at The Biltmore afforded us the opportunity to really take advantage of one of a great Miami venue – this hotel has tons of great areas to shoot, so more than worth the effort to add another location into the mix. Of course, the Coral Gables Country Club is in one of finest areas of Miami and it also offers wonderful spaces to create unique wedding photos. As a South Florida wedding photographer, I love to work in a variety of locations even if it takes more time and effort – I love being able to produce a vast selection of photos for my clients to enjoy after the wedding. Alana and Roy's South Florida traditional Jewish wedding was truly one to remember!

Joni Scalzo of Your Special Day by Joni did a terrific job of organizing and planning this large South Florida Jewish wedding. Also contributing to the beauty of the day was the fine work of Petal Productions and the masterful hair and make-up work done by Tatjana Terzic and her team. Both the band, Higher Ground as well as Vision DJs were on hand to keep the party pumped. Ana Paz created a wedding cake to die for and the bride couldn’t help but marvel at it’s beauty.

Alana and Roy met at work. They are both interpreters and were working at a video relay center. She invaded his cubicle and threw herself a dance party the second day they worked together! The rest is history! One of the more important things they share is his first and her second language, American Sign Language. Much of his family is Deaf and it works out that they can all easily communicate! They also share a passion for life, travel, and adventure!

They selected the Coral Gables Country Club because it had the perfect "feel" for their wedding: grand, elegant, and classy. They loved the chandeliers, wood floor, and overall grace of the property. In addition, the food was fantastic as were the staff! (From the start they were limited on venues due to the size of their party, but the Country Club was big enough to accommodate their party and more!)

They did not exactly choose a theme for the wedding per say, but they knew we wanted something elegant, sparkly, and with a hell of a dance party! The majority of the wedding party came in from out of town, and it was quite a diverse bunch! They had Marines, Israeli Dancers, Deaf folks, Jewish family, and a slew of others! Roy broke tradition and opted for a best woman, Kristen. The wedding also included Sign Language Interpreters and a special mix of flower arrangements to ensure clear sight lines for signed communication. Petal Productions masterfully created low arrangements for tables with Deaf guests and high arrangements for those with only hearing guests. The room had to be carefully arranged so the Deaf guests could see the interpreters from where they were sitting. This took some extra time and care.

The couple enlisted the help of Apex Interpreting (see below), as many of the guests were Deaf.

Miami ended up being the perfect place for a March 1st wedding. Most of Alana and Roy’s guests sought respite from a long, cold winter up north to join in this tropical celebration. Both bride and groom could not have been more thrilled with their amazing families and vendors for the perfect day and perfect South Florida Jewish wedding!